Meet Me in Tallahassee
by SpaceCowboy
Summary: The Wicked Witch is in town, and although they know her identity, they still don't know her intentions. And while the residents of Storybrook try to find and defeat this mischievous foe and her Dark ally, Emma will also find herself searching for home. And along the way she'll learn that home is where the heart is... and there's no place like home. Starts after 3x15. CS fic.
1. Prologue

**Meet Me in Tallahassee**

by SpaceCowboy

Prologue

The pounding in Emma's head reached its climax before she opened her eyes. She blinked several times and tried to focus her surroundings, but had only minor success. Wherever she was, it was dark. She moved to her hands and knees with gritted teeth, for every muscle ached with stiffness as she crawled forward. She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing or even how she got to where she was, but staying still did not seem like a good option. When she reached a wall, she raised herself to her knees and tried to stand, but her feet caught on something soft and heavy. She gave it a small kick and heard a groan, making her instantly fill with panic and confusion.

She heard the groan again, but this time the sound broke through the static in her mind and she remembered something from before awakening in the dark room.

"Hook," she breathed, as she searched blindly through the dimly lit room.

Her heart paused a beat when her hands wrapped around thick, familiar leather. She used it as an anchor to pull herself closer as her eyes adjusted to the dark. When her body was next to his, she ran her hands up his torso till she felt the rough texture of his beard. As she leaned her body over his, and her hand moved up to rest gently on his cheek, she noticed that although he was breathing, he was most certainly not conscious.

Emma shook him gently, and then more urgently when there was no response.

His body lay limp beside her.

Panic rose from her stomach and exploded into her limbs causing them to tremble. She pulled herself into a sitting position with her back against a cold wall and her legs resting against his body. How did they get there? What happened to Hook? She needed to think. She needed to remember more. So with a few steadying breaths and a hand resting on Hook's shoulder, Emma gathered together what little information she had; dark room, cold, head pounding, Hook…

Her eyes snapped open and she clutched the leather of his coat.

And Zelena.

Thoughts rushed into her mind and crashed together to form a full, clear memory.

She had arrived at Granny's Diner late. Hook was already there waiting. He had wanted to talk. In private. On neutral territory. And she had agreed.

Past closing, they had remained sitting side by side at the counter engaging in small talk, neither one able to broach the topic they were there to discuss but both knowing they wanted to. And it was right when Hook looked her in the eyes and had gently taken her hand into his that a shrill ring above the front entrance echoed throughout the diner, causing them both to jump. And from the door came Zelena, equipped with a wicked smirk and waving a hand shimmering with magic. And when she unleashed the fireball that hovered in her palm, Hook had swung himself off his stool, throwing his coat out in a wide arc to deflect the attack and pushed Emma to the floor.

The memory stopped there.

Emma rubbed her head as it faded from her mind, frustrated that she couldn't remember what happened next.

Biting her lip, she let her head rest against the cold wall behind her and surveyed the room. She was freezing, that much was instantly discernible. And when her vision finally adjusted to the dark, she could tell they were in a small closet filled with shelves, but the contents of the shelves were still obscured by the darkness. Across from her she saw a large door with a handle and clambered to her knees to see if she could pry it open. It took her seconds to realize it was locked, and from the cold metal handle and thickness of the door she also realized they were in a freezer- Granny's freezer. She peered over her shoulder, now with recognition, and further recognized the extent of the danger they were in. The room had once been reinforced to keep Ruby's inner wolf at bay, and therefore, could only be opened from the outside. And with the temperature kept way below zero, it was only a matter of time before someone would freeze to death.

Momentarily drained of options, Emma slumped back against the wall next to Hook, and with pained effort she pulled his upper body into her lap. She rested his head on her stomach and drew her legs up to not only protect him but share body heat as well. He still had not moved nor made another noise since she had kicked him, but her hand resting on his chest did rise and fall with each slow breath he took. This gave Emma some comfort, but not enough to ease her concerns.

"Wake up, Hook," she pleaded, softly. "I need answers."

Frustrated, she repeatedly tapped the back of her head against the wall; trying to jog some of the lost memories back into place. After a moment, she felt him move so she quickly adjusted herself to take more of him into her lap. But the movement on his part was short-lived, and by the time she had his face between her hands he had stopped. With a deep breath, Emma let her forehead fall on his. "What happened?" she asked, knowing no answer would be forthcoming. "Why can't I remember? And why won't you wake up?"

A burst of light filled her eyes as another memory came to life.

She stood behind Hook in the middle of the diner, protected by his outstretched arm that brandished his sword. And every time she tried to pull away, to move herself in front of him, he would hold her back. She remembered feeling angry with him for not letting her fight her own battle, and yet oddly, also a sense of comfort. But when the Wicked Witch cackled, and the windows shook from vibration, Emma's emotions quickly changed to fear. So when the front door smashed open, sending shards of glass and metal through the air and across the floor, she jumped back. As did Hook.

A grey, feathered and furred monkey landed beside the Witch and stretched its wings and bared its teeth, saliva dripping from its mouth.

"I believe you two have met," smiled Zelena, patting the monkey like a cherished pet. With the touch of the Witch's hand, the monkey curled its wings into its body and nuzzled its head into her palm. "I believe you knew him as, Walsh."

Emma stepped forward, expecting Hook's arm to stop her, but found no resistance. Sparing him a quick glance as she made her way around him, she noticed he was standing strangely still, his left arm hanging limp at his side and his right arm wavering like the sword had suddenly become too heavy to hold.

Emma jolted herself upright in the freezer. "Oh my god!" she breathed, as her hands slid quickly yet gently across his shoulders. She felt something thick and sticky on his left chest and pulled his coat as far back as she could. And when she retracted her hand to examine the substance now coating her fingers, she knew it was blood. Glass shards had embedded themselves in his neck and upper shoulder during the monkey's entrance and she remembered watching in horror as Hook pulled the largest one out which caused blood to spew and his knees to buckle. And it was then that Emma's fear turned into anger. She remembered turning on the Witch, her hands burning with desire to unleash the magic she felt brewing inside her, but before she could, the Witch froze her in place.

"So sorry to have to burst your little, Savior Bubble, but it's not you that I need," purred Zelena. "At least not right now. You have a precious little brother or sister coming, and they're way more enticing. But since I can't have you following me either, locking you up will have to do."

Suddenly, Emma flew backwards, colliding with Hook's body and taking it with her as she careened through the air like a rag doll.

That was her last memory before waking in the freezer.

_**More to Come…**_


	2. Chapter 1

**Meet Me in Tallahassee**

I

They knew the Wicked Witch had control of the Dark One. What they didn't know was where she was keeping him.

It was well past midnight in Storybrook and several days after Neal's funeral. Regina sat at the Charming's kitchen table along with them, waiting for Emma, and most likely Hook, to join them before discussing their next course of action. "What could they possibly be discussing that would take this long? Granny's closed over an hour ago," sighed Regina, impatiently crossing her hands in her lap. But when she noticed Mary Margaret and David's badly concealed trepidation at her comment, she smiled and waved a dismissive hand. "Sorry. Forgot that topic was off-limits."

"What topic?" smiled Mary Margaret, through gritted teeth.

Regina shook her head and snickered in response. Not only could the woman not tell a convincing lie, she couldn't hide her true emotions either. "Your daughter and the pirate," whispered Regina, as she leaned over the table to convey the secrecy of the statement.

Mary Margaret continued to placate her with a smile while David suddenly rose from the table and pulled out his cell phone.

Regina watched with amusement as he dialed, what she could only assume was Emma's number, while Mary Margaret joined him eagerly by his side, clutching his arm.

"Don't try to stop me," stated David, raising the phone to his ear.

"Not going to happen," replied Mary Margaret, as she also leaned her ear to the phone.

Regina sat back in her chair and removed her gloves as the two Charming's waited for a response. It only took a few moments before they gave up and for David to return his phone to his pocket. And it only took a moment more for them both to turn toward the door and reach for their jackets. This was Regina's cue to stand. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said. "Perhaps there's more going on here than a late night tryst."

Her warning only caused Mary Margaret and David to move with more urgency, so she quickly moved herself around the table before they could get out the door. "I can't understand why this would be a better scenario for you two, but maybe they're not tied up with each other. The Wicked Witch is roaming around out there with the Dark One in tow, so maybe we should think about this before going off half cocked."

This brought the Charming's to a halt. "Actually, that's not a better scenario," replied David, as he shared a look with his wife. "But it doesn't make me feel any better either."

"What do you suggest?" asked Mary Margaret.

Regina fastened the buttons on her coat and made her way toward the door. "David and I will take a look around, check out Granny's and see if they are still there. Meanwhile, I suggest you and your baby remain here where my protection spell can, well, protect you."

"Stay here while my daughter is missing?" exclaimed Mary Margaret.

"She's right," said David, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's best if you stay here. We know Zelena wants our baby. It's safer for you to stay. Regina and I will go and look and I'll call you the second we find anything."

It was obvious Mary Margaret was not happy, but she appeased them anyway. With a deep breath she nodded and moved away from the apartment door. "The second you find anything," she reiterated, with a stern finger pointed at her husband.

"Will do. I promise," nodded David, before he kissed her forehead in reassurance.

After swallowing the sick feeling their endearments tended to cause her, Regina motioned toward the door. "Shall we?"

But before David opened the door, he suddenly stopped and pointed at Regina. "Tracking spell would make this much faster," he suggested.

Regina looked between them both. They shared the same expression of pleading hope, making her almost feet guilty for what she was about to say. "I'm not well versed in that spell," she replied.

Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows expectantly. "It's worth a try," she said, and then turned to grab the closest possession of her daughters she could find.

Regina started unbuttoning her coat as she made her way back to the kitchen table. "I'm not making any promises," she answered.

David came to stand next to her and she could feel tension emanating from his body. She looked up at him and conveyed the most sincere smile she could muster. "I said I'd try. I wasn't lying."

"That's not what concerns me," replied David, crossing his arms over his chest.

Regina eyed him skeptically.

"You had to say tied up, didn't you? That's an image a father never needs to see. Especially when it involves a pirate."

-OUAT-

Emma could barely feel her hands. She flexed her fingers several times before she returned them to Hook's neck and shoulder. The bleeding seemed to have stopped a while ago, perhaps on its own or perhaps due to the temperature, Emma could not be sure. And without any real light, she couldn't check his wounds with any sense of detail so she continued to try to hold pressure on them just in case. But her hands were so stiff and sore from the cold she wasn't sure if she was actually helping or hurting him more due to the fact that she couldn't even feel him anymore.

"You better survive this," she said aloud, as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall. "So I can kick your ass for trying to play the hero." She laughed at herself and opened her eyes to look down into Hook's pale face. "Guess you're not used to being called that, are you? Hero, I mean."

She slowly pulled her hand from his shoulder and placed it on his forehead. She was surprised to find it warm, so she let her hand linger there for a while and tried to draw from him some much-needed heat. But her moment of bliss was short-lived when she realized warm in a cold place was bad. She instantly adjusted herself so she could hitch him higher in her lap. Then she reached her hand down under his shirt to find his torso was just as warm as his forehead. The words infection and fever sprang into her mind and her earlier panic returned with a vengeance. She released her other hand from his neck and held his face between both her hands. She looked down at him, searching for anything that would show he was about to wake, but she found no such clues. "No. No. No," she repeated, as she held his head. "We've come too far… I can't lose…" her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't finish the statement.

Slowly, she lowered her cheek to rest against his feverish forehead. Her stomach tied itself into a knot and she felt bile rise in her throat. Not even a week ago she had sat in nearly the same position and held Neal as he died in her arms. Tears welled in her eyes and she could not bring herself to look at Hook cradled in her lap. She began to rock back and forth, hoping the slight movement would stifle the tears that threatened to fall and freeze on her cheeks. "I swear I'll kill you if you die on me too," she whispered.

She embraced him even harder, not caring that the motion might reopen his wounds, for all she wanted to do was get closer. Get closer to him. She wanted to absorb him into her self and bring his limp, injured body back to consciousness.

She wanted to fix him. Not watch as another person she cared for slipped from her hands.

Then Emma blinked.

Suddenly her head shot up and she found herself staring into his face. "Oh please, please, please let this work," she prayed, grasping his face between her cold hands even harder and leaning down to meet his lips.

She lingered there a moment, her lips resting softly on his as she took a deep, steadying breath before making full contact. She kissed him gently at first, expecting to feel him return the gesture, but when he didn't she kissed him harder. She let all the feelings she had within her explode from her core and seep through her lips, hoping there was enough left of Hook to realize and embrace what was happening to him. And after what felt like a bolt of electricity shooting through her, she pulled back with a sense of both hope and release. But her hope was torn from her in an instant.

Hook still lay dormant in her arms.

For more reasons than she ever wanted to think about, Emma let the tears cloud her vision. She had felt certain it would work, but his skin still felt hot from fever. She had never doubted his feelings for her, but yet he remained quiet and still. And all though she was yet unwilling to tell him, she was sure of her feelings for him, but yet his wounds did not heal.

She banged her head against the wall and cursed true loves kiss. Then, either fuelled by self-deprecation or impetuous realization, she cursed herself for thinking that what she had with Hook could have been true love.

"What was I thinking," she half cried, half laughed, to herself. "Like the Savior should be so lucky." She let her head drop down again to look at his face and patted him gently on the chest with a smile. "Sorry, buddy. I guess it's not in the cards for us."

From that pronouncement, the tears fell freely, suddenly and uncontrollably, like a water-bed pricked by a nail gun. For not only had she truly hoped the kiss would work, she had truly _thought_ the kiss would work.

-OUAT-

"This isn't working," stated Regina, as she stopped in the middle of Main Street.

David tugged her by the elbow to move her forward, but she stood her ground. "We still have half the town to cover," he urged.

Regina shook her head. "I'm sorry the tracking spell didn't work, but I told you it was a long shot. And it also wasted quite a bit of time. But as for tracking magic, that I can do blindfolded but so far it's turned up nothing of consequence."

"We can't give up," pleaded David. "This is Emma were talking about. And I know I don't have to explain to you what that means to Mary Margaret, and me, but I also know that means something to you as well. If not for anything else but, Henry."

"I wasn't suggesting we give up," she replied, more bitterly than intended. But the thought that Henry, somewhere down the line, would mean something in all of this crazy Witch business made her blood boil. "I just think we need to try a new tactic. It's been over an hour and all I can feel around me is magic. This town is dripping with it."

David drew his hands up to his waist and rested them on his hips. "Maybe we just need to look at this from another angle."

A thought began to form in Regina's head. "Yes, now you're on to something." She walked past him and patted him on the chest. "I knew you were more than just a pretty face." She paced in front of him, ignoring the eye roll and frown her comment had invoked in the prince. "It's not magic I should be tracking, but rather, the lack of."

"What are you getting at?"

Regina stepped up to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "If I were the Wicked Witch, and I wanted to kidnap someone who possessed powerful magic, I would most definitely make sure they couldn't use it against me."

"You mean like a spell or something… that blocks magic?"

Regina tapped her arm as she searched her mind for the right way to explain this. "Think of it as a black hole," she finally said. "Like a complete absence of magic surrounded by magic."

David stared back at her, his face blank. "Yeah, I completely don't know what you're talking about."

Regina smiled smugly. "Just follow me," she replied, as she turned away from him. And when she felt him fall into step behind her, she glanced back as an even smugger smile played on her lips. "Just make sure you're ready for what we might see."

David stopped dead in his tracks, causing Regina to do the same. "What do you mean by that?"

With a playful shrug, Regina leaned into his personal space. "Well, this could all be for nothing," she teased, maliciously. "Cause your daughter may just be missing cause she's actually, with, Hook. If you know what I mean," she added, with a wink.

David swallowed discernibly.

"You sure you want to find your daughter in that compromising position you envisioned earlier?"

"Actually," replied David, with a nervous hint in his voice. "Right now I'm hoping that's exactly what we find, cause I'd rather have a daughter with questionable taste in men than a dead one."

Regina couldn't argue with that, so she turned away and walked further down the street. "Then follow me," she said again, as she waved to him to fall in step behind her.

-OUAT-

When the tears had dried up, or froze, Emma could not be sure, her heart felt heavy and tired- as with the rest of her body. But she still clung to Hook.

She couldn't remember when she had stopped feeling the cold, just that somehow she no longer cared. Tired and sore, she had become completely at ease with their situation and no longer felt the need to stay afloat any longer. Instead, she felt more in-tune with just staying where they were and waiting for either help or death arrived, whichever came first.

"They'll find us," she said, softly, as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Someone will eventually. I mean, Granny has to open in the morning so maybe then…" she let her voice trail off, unsure who she was really talking to; herself or Hook. Either way, she didn't really care. She was so spent and tired that she could have fallen asleep right then and there and she wouldn't have cared. At the least, she thought as she moved herself out from under Hook to lay him on the floor, they wouldn't die alone.

The thought should have scared her, but it didn't. Emma's mind was too apathetic to care about much anymore, so she lay down on the frozen floor next to Hook and stared up at the dark ceiling. "You know, we really could have had fun together," she said, her words slurring together as her eyes began to droop. "Too bad about that true love's kiss though," she continued, as her weary mind began to drift. "Cause I really thought it was going to work…"

Emma could not finish her last statement before her eyes fully closed and the hypothermia completely enveloped her body- invading her mind and depriving it of oxygen as her blood began to shunt. She wasn't even shivering anymore.

But as peaceful as she was with turning into a human Popsicle, she managed to inch her right hand closer to the man dying right along side her. She barely had the energy to wrap her frozen fingers around his hook, so when she did, she let herself go and allowed a smile to caress her lips.

The next thing she knew there was a very loud, and very close, bang resounding in her ears.

Too tired and content to seek out the noisy intrusion, for truly she thought it was rather rude of someone to interrupt her peaceful death, she lay still and tried to ignore the commotion she felt happening around her. So when she felt strong arms wrap around her, she let them lift her without a fight. When she heard familiar voices call her name, she didn't respond. And when she felt the ground shake beneath her, tossing her back and forth while loud wailing sirens screamed in the background, she merely let them lull her further into a deep sleep.

-OUAT-

After Regina changed her tactics and began looking for an area that lacked magic, it didn't take long for the two of them to find Granny's. To Regina, it had shone like a beacon in the night. It dripped with normality among an enclave of enchantment. And although it had been the first place on their list to check, it had taken them far too long to arrive due to the misleading trail Regina had initially been following.

And when they entered, and with her magic strangled by the void encircling the diner, Regina reluctantly acquiesced the job of breaking open the freezer to David.

He threw his body against the metal door with all his might. "Emma! Are you in there?" he called, as he slammed his body against it once again.

"She's in there," replied Regina, a level of urgency in her voice she was not used to using when referring to Henry's other mother. "The door handle is fused shut. Why would anyone do that except to keep someone locked it."

David paused his assault on the freezer door long enough to see what Regina was pointing at, and then he took off into the back room of the diner and returned with a hammer.

Regina stood back and sniffed the air as her hands slowly circled the room. No magic. The room felt empty, as if all the magical properties to which the town had grown accustomed, had been sucked out of the air. Which also meant, Emma had no access to it either. "Hurry," she urged David, who didn't even pause to acknowledge her before swinging the hammer down on the door handle.

It took a few tries for David to break the device and a mere few seconds more for him to throw the door open. Regina rushed into the freezer with him and bent down beside Hook as David scooped his daughter up in his arms and pulled her out of the frozen dungeon.

Regina looked for signs of life from the pirate, and noticed his chest rise and fall evenly. She let out a breath and tried to pull him out to where David had deposited Emma, but she couldn't move him more than a few inches. Momentarily, David came back in and picked Hook up and threw him over his shoulder. Outside in the dining area, Regina watched as the prince laid the pirate next to his daughter. "Call 911!" he exclaimed, as he bent down and removed his jacket. He placed it over Emma's body and then turned to check Hook.

"They must be frozen," stated Regina, holding her cell phone to her ear as she waited for someone to answer. "And is that blood?"

David looked himself over when he noticed the blood stains on the back of his jacket and covering his hands. "It's not me," he proclaimed, as he quickly surveyed his daughter for injuries other than hypothermia.

"It's Hook," informed Regina, when she bent down and peeled back the left shoulder of his coat. His neck and shoulder were nearly shredded with cuts and dried blood and she had to look away to school herself before turning back "What the hell happened here?" she asked, examining the wounds more closely to see shards of glass still embedded in his skin.

"That's what I'd like to know," replied David, as he pointed a finger toward the front entrance of the establishment.

Regina followed his finger and noticed the front door missing and shards of glass and metal cluttering the floor; something both of them had obviously missed during their hasty ingress. "Someone made a grand entrance," she said, stepping over some of the debris as she made her way toward the impact area. She ran a hand near the broken door frame and tried to sense some sort of magic, but she couldn't discern anything. Frowning, she looked back at David and saw him reach for something on the floor. "What is that?" she asked, as she made her way back to him for a better look.

"A grey feather," he replied, holding it up for her to see. "And I'm betting it belongs to a monkey."

Regina looked at him but was too distracted to reply. Someone had finally answered her call. "Well it's about time," she huffed into the mouthpiece. "I need an ambulance at the diner. Now!"

A short time later, both Emma and Hook were on their way to the hospital while David accompanied them. Regina agreed to pick up Mary Margaret and bring her to them, and keep an eye out for any more concerns along the way. And once she and Mary Margaret arrived at Storybrook General, she watched as husband and wife reunited in grief over their daughter. Then, she stepped aside and kept a watchful eye on the emergency room entrance as the two shared a long embrace and worried expressions.

"She's going to be just fine," stated David, holding his wife at arm's length. "She just needs to warm up a little."

"My goodness," breathed Mary Margaret. "It could have been…"

"Don't worry about could-have-beens," interrupted Regina. "And worry more about what could be."

"She's right," nodded David. "The Wicked Witch is still out there and we still don't know what her intentions are."

"I don't care what her intentions are," fumed Regina. "She's invaded my town and I won't stand for it."

"For once, I'm glad you're on our side, Regina," smiled Mary Margaret. "And by all means, do what you have to and just get rid of her. You have our blessing to run amuck if need be."

Regina smiled sagaciously as she pulled on her gloves. "Oh, I don't need your blessings nor do I ever run amuck, but thank you anyway. I'm sure it was difficult to express how much you actually need me right now."

With that, Regina started toward the exit, but before the doors opened she turned back to the couple still holding each other. "I've got a Witch hunt to plan, so I suggest you either help or stay out of my way." Then she disappeared into the street.

_**More to Come…**_


End file.
